|
|
Recent Articles
-
Palantir’s Fourth-Quarter Results Showcase Strong Trends in Artificial Intelligence
Feb 6, 2024
-
Image: Palantir’s revenue continues to march higher, and the company’s performance continues to showcase the growing strength in artificial intelligence. Source: Palantir.
We liked Palantir’s quarterly results, but we wanted to bring to members’ attention the commentary surrounding artificial intelligence [AI]: "Our results reflect both the strength of our software and the surging demand that we are seeing across industries and sectors for artificial intelligence platforms, including large language models, that are capable of integrating with the tangle of existing technical infrastructure that organizations have been constructing for years...The demand for large language models from commercial institutions in the United States continues to be unrelenting. Every part of our organization is focused on the rollout of our Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP), which has gone from a prototype to a product in months. And our momentum with AIP is now significantly contributing to new revenue and new customers."
-
McDonald’s Facing Macro Challenges, Impacts from the War in the Middle East
Feb 5, 2024
-
Image Source: Mike Mozart.
On February 5, McDonald’s Corp reported decent fourth-quarter results with strong revenue growth coming roughly in-line with consensus estimates and non-GAAP earnings per share exceeding the Street’s forecast. Though the firm noted that it is experiencing some macro challenges and that its operations continue to be impacted by the war in the Middle East, we like having McDonald’s as a core restaurant holding in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio in part because of its mostly franchised business model that handles inflationary pressures well and its strong and world-renowned brand name. The high end of our fair value estimate range of McDonald’s stands at $345 per share, and the company yields ~2.25% at the time of this writing.
-
Earnings Roundup: MO, EPD, SBUX, CLX, HON
Feb 4, 2024
-
Image: Starbucks’ international store growth potential remains robust. Image Source: Starbucks.
High-yielding tobacco giant Altria offered an outlook through 2028 that spoke to continued robust earnings and dividend-per-share expansion. Enterprise Products Partners, now a Dividend Aristocrat, is handling record volumes through its pipeline network, and the firm is investing heavily to drive improved long-term cash flow trends. Starbucks recently disappointed on a number of metrics, but the company's margin and earnings performance remains excellent, as is its international store growth opportunities. Clorox has recovered nicely from a recent cyberattack, and the firm is now forecasting adjusted earnings per share growth in fiscal 2024. We're monitoring its cash flow trends closely, however. Honeywell is targeting tremendous free cash flow growth in 2024 thanks to continued strength in its commercial aerospace operations.
-
Earnings Roundup: ABBV, CVX, NYCB, XOM
Feb 2, 2024
-
Image: Unrealized losses continue to mount for banking entities due to the Fed's rate-hiking cycle. "Unrealized losses on securities totaled $683.9 billion in third quarter, up $125.5 billion (22.5 percent) from the prior quarter, primarily due to an increase in mortgage rates that reduced the value of mortgagebacked securities. Unrealized losses on held-to-maturity securities totaled $390.5 billion in the third quarter, while unrealized losses on available-for-sale securities totaled $293.5 billion." -- Image Source: FDIC Quarterly.
AbbVie is facing pressure from declining sales of Humira, but the company's long-term outlook looks fine to us bolstered by promising growth of Skyrizi and Rinvoq. Chevron put up mixed fourth-quarter 2023 results, but its free cash flow easily covers its dividend payout. We've grown cautious on Chevron due to its deal making, however. New York Community Bancorp is provisioning for greater credit losses, while its net interest margin is under pressure. The bank recently slashed its payout, and we continue to reiterate why we don't like the dividends of banking firms. Exxon Mobil put up an excellent 2023, and while the firm's dividend is in great shape, we no longer are pursuing new energy-related ideas in the newsletter portfolios at this time.
|
